This invention relates to a cooking device, in general, and, more particularly, to a multi-functional cooking device that is particularly adapted to the food service industry.
The food service industry involves the preparation of substantial quantities of food for consumption by a large number of people. Thus, institutions involved in the food service industry include cafeterias, hospitals, colleges, prisons, restaurants, airlines, etc.
Various food preparation devices are in use in the food service industry. These devices include griddles, ovens, deep-fat fryers, kettles, holding cabinets and steamers. Each of the foregoing devices is a self-contained unit, serving only a single function. Each of the units is costly and, more importantly, requires a substantial amount of floor space in the food preparation area.
The device of this invention combines a steamer, skillet, griddle, fryer, kettle, holding cabinet and oven into a single unit. The result is a substantial saving in cost and floor space. Additionally, the device includes a number of features not found in any of the individual cooking devices presently in use.
There are presently available combination steamers and ovens for preparing food. The steam for the devices is prepared by a boiler, and piped into the oven. Each of the devices includes a front door, which is hingedly mounted on the front of the steamer-oven. Whenever it is desired to remove food from the steamer, the front door is opened. This results in a blast of steam hitting the person preparing the food. In addition to being dangerous, this also results in a waste of energy. The opening of the door permits all of the steam to escape from the oven, and the interior of the oven is rapidly cooled. Also, the inside surface of the door is exposed to the food preparer. This is dangerous, since that surface can be at a temperature of up to 500.degree. F.
When a new portion of food is placed in the oven, new steam or hot air must be added in order to bring the temperature of the oven back to its desired point. All of the steam previously in the oven will be lost. Subsequent opening of the front door to remove the prepared food will again result in a loss of all of the steam within the oven, and the rapid lowering of the oven temperature.
In one of the functions of the cooking device of this invention, steam is used to prepare and heat food placed in the device. However, the device of this invention does not include a front door. Instead, the device has a hollow lid, which is raised vertically to permit access into the interior of the device. When the lid is raised, there is no expulsion of steam from the device. Instead, the hot steam rises within the lid, and is maintained within the lid when the food is removed from the device or placed in the device. The lid is then seated on the base of the oven. There is little temperature loss when the lid is raised, and there is no blast of steam caused by the raising of the lid.
When the device is used as a steamer, steam is created at atmospheric pressure. No gasket is provided between the base and the lid or cover of the device. Instead, in order to prevent leakage of steam, the lower edge of the cover is provided with a notch and the upper edge of the base is provided with an angled lip which is received in the notch. Steam that condenses within the lid drips down to the base. However, there is no leakage of steam out of the device, when the lid is in place on the base.
The floor of the base serves the function of being a grill or braising surface. When the lid is lifted out of the way, the cook can easily grill or braise food in the base. One of the features of the invention is that a cam lever is provided for tilting the base to a 10.degree. angle, with the rear of the base being uppermost. When at this angle, any fat or grease can easily be drained from the grilling surface. The 10.degree. angle is also satisfactory for permitting the frying or grilling of food, and letting the fat automatically drain, while the food remains on the griddle plate. Utilizing the 10.degree. angle, or a slightly larger preset angle, the food will not slide while it is being fried, but the fat will drain.
In another aspect of this invention, a novel mechanism is provided for heating the griddle plate. Electrical heating bars, placed against the bottom surface of the griddle plate, are held in place under a spring pressure. They are not directly secured to the bottom of the plate, and are capable of sliding relative to the bottom of the plate. By having this securement mechanism, where there are differential coefficients of expansion between the heating bars and the plate, the heating bars will still make good contact with the plate. In the prior art, where heating bars were secured to the plate, there could be a gapping between the bottom of the plate and the heating bars, caused by different coefficients of thermal expansion.